Rithvik Dhanjani on National Tourism Day: Everyone should visit Bir Biling in Himachal Pradesh

One look at Rithvik Dhanjani’s Instagram page and you’d know what a big travel junkie he is. From taking trips abroad to exploring different locations in India and soaking in the beauty of hidden gems, the actor is living to create memories and cherish them forever. On National Tourism Day, we get talking to Dhanjani, who begins by mentioning his favourite destination in India that he can’t get enough of, and wants everyone else to also witness its magic.

“India has so many beautiful places and my favourite in the entire world has to be the little town Bir Biling. You have to explore Himachal. People are so sweet there, then the great libraries and cafes... everything is so surreal about this place,” gushes the 35-year-old, adding, “I have travelled a lot in our country, but I do want to explore a lot more in the mountains.”

Having traversed from Koorg in South India to Gulmarg up North, there still are places that continue to feature on his bucket list. “Coimbatore is right now at the top of my to-do list. I want to visit the Isha Yoga Centre once,” he tells us.

Asked if the travel bug had bitten him early on his childhood or recently, and Dhanjani says it has been a gradual process. “Love for travel just sort of developed. Our work makes us travel a lot anyway, so I realised that while I am going for work, why don’t I extend all my trips by a few days? So, in my head, I have conditioned my brain in a way that I am going to work but I am also travelling. I always extend my trip by a couple of days after finishing the work, be it within or outside India. I explore the places as much as I can,” he elaborates.

At this point, the actor asserts that travel for him isn’t just about reaching a destination, but about letting the place consume him. “As a child, our family never travelled. I come from a middle class family and this was never a concept for us. That’s also why I like travelling more now, because I can. Main kabhi travel ke liye mana karta hi nahi hoon. I am that one person who my friends don’t even have to ask... they know I will say yes. I travel with zero expectations, I don’t like the idea of chasing something at a place. I let the places consume me. For example, I don’t go to the mountains to chase peace,” he says.

Other than exploring beautiful locations in India, Dhanjani leaves no opportunity to travel the different places across the globe. Recounting his recent trip to Paris, he shares, “It was mind-blowing. I went there for New Year’s and it wasn’t a pre-planned holiday. I had two shoot dates but six days that were free in between. Everyone was sort of having a plan at that time. I realised that I have never been to Paris. I randomly checked and got really cheap tickets. Without knowing who I am going to go with or where I will stay, I booked the tickets. When I reached, my boys were coincidentally in Paris only, that’s how the whole trip came to be, it was just wonderful.”